A workshop entitled "Climate change and ways to reduce its effects," organized by Water, Environment and Energy center at the University of Jordan
Environmental experts and researchers
expressed their fear of the phenomenon of climate change, and its rapid exacerbation of its consequences, due to its comprehensive and profound effects on global economic and social growth, and they emphasized that the heavy rains that were characterized by their severity and witnessed by many countries in the Middle East and North Africa such as Egypt and the Arab Gulf states as well. Jordan in the last five years, which caused floods and torrents, which led to heavy human and material losses, which are evidence of climate change
This came during a workshop organized by the Water, Energy and Environment Center at the University of Jordan entitled "Climate change and ways to limit its effects," in which about fifty experts, academics, and specialists in environmental affairs and climate change from local, regional and global universities and research centers participated. The workshop, which lasted for three days, is the last in a series of workshops held within the project of sustainable management of water resources in developing countries (SWINDON) supported by the German Eldad Foundation
The Director of the Water, Energy and Environment Center, Dr. Khaldoun Shatnawi, explained the importance of the project and its contribution to building the capacities of workers in the water sector, and the keenness to continue exchanging experiences in the field of sustainable water management, and to search for the best ways to adapt to climate change regionally and internationally
Al-Shatnawi stressed the center's contributions to the existing projects, seeking to enrich the water sector and reach a higher level of coordination, to improve the exploitation of water resources in the region, indicating the need for continued efforts to keep pace with developments and changes in the sector, and the sustainability of work to increase the ability to adapt to climate changes
The project coordinator at the university Dr. Abbas Al-Omari said that the project deals with new and urgent issues and topics at the local, regional and global levels that affect various aspects of life, which would enrich scientific knowledge, strengthen educational and academic systems, and strengthen cooperation with universities and regional and global research centers, indicating that The university is considered a major partner in the project, along with Mu'ta University from Jordan, in addition to the participation of universities and research centers from Turkey, Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco and Germany
According to Al-Omari, according to forecasts reached by researchers of climate change in the Middle East and North Africa region, expectations are heading towards a decrease in the amount of precipitation and an increase in temperatures, which leads to a decrease in the sources, which is matched by a rise in demand, which causes a widening gap between them. He pointed out that this workshop will contribute to developing possible scenarios and scenarios to identify these expected negative impacts of climate change and ways to mitigate and adapt to it.
During the opening of the workshop, Vice President of the University of Jordan for Scientific Colleges, Dr. Kifah Al-Jamaani, said in a speech that the Middle East and North Africa region is one of the poorest regions in the world in terms of water resources, which will negatively affect its social and economic development, pointing out that negative expectations of climate change will exacerbate The crisis increases its dependencies and negative effects. She indicated that Jordan realized its need to develop solutions to adapt to the environmental, economic and social impacts of climate change to maintain its economic and social development
While the advisor to the Minister of Agriculture and Environment for Technical Affairs, Dr. Jihad Al-Sawaier, explained that Jordan, like the rest of the world, is affected by climate change, and may be affected more by the water and agricultural sectors, but the percentage of it causes climate change is very small if compared to the rate of its impact, which is much higher
He said that Jordan is committed to its global responsibility through its contribution to international efforts aimed at mitigating and combating climate change, pointing to Jordan's launch of a climate change policy (2013-2020), and the possibility of extending it until 2030, which sheds light on the mechanisms that Jordan follows regarding issues such as Adaptation, Mitigation, Financing, and Technology Transfer, and its commitment to implementing the provisions of agreements related to climate change adaptation and building community resilience, and other strategies that it follows
The workshop discussed in its working sessions a number of axes that dealt with topics about the effects of climate change on different sectors, and ways to adapt to it by resorting to non-traditional sources instead of traditional, as is the case in the water and agricultural sectors, the possibility of using treated water, water harvesting, and ways to increase the effectiveness of Water distribution networks, and irrigation networks